Erythrite
by ohamandalynn
Summary: Kids these days; they just don't know how to let it be.
1. Chapter 1

Erythrite

ohamandalynn

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{a/n} Erythrite is a pale red crystalline material. Though it is associated with Cobalt crystals, it reminded me of the crystals Chiropterans become when they die. I had a hell of a time with titles for this. I wanted this to be as elegant as possible. In case you don't catch on later in the story, the chapter names are the names of the movements of the Bach Cello Suite 5. I in fact suggest you listen to the Cello Suites as you read this; I did. I don't know how things work in this part of town, but I spell our favorite Chevalier's name as Hagi, not Haji. Why? Because my spell check curses at me when I spell it Haji. Deal with it.

{rating} I think it will be M. I think their may be a little blood, gore and language, so kids, let's play this one safe.

{disclaimer} Own Blood Plus, I do not. Own the Bach Cello Suites, I do not. Own your mother, I do. Go ask her. Do it.

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{1}Prélude.

This night was heavy with rain. The wet scent carried through the stone walls of a grave, soaking a silken cocoon with moisture. It's surface had seen ten long years now, it's massive webbing holding the precious being inside from the harsh summers and winters, the extremes of each year. The storm had just ended, the last few rolls of thunder causing the stone floor to vibrate. It was just the first of the spring storms, the loud entrance of April and it's graces.

Slow footsteps could be heard and soft voices traveled gently through the thick, humid air, loping over the steps to the grave. That same voice had been coming every spring for the past ten years. And surely, that voice would be hopeful like always, as the owner came to check on the tightly wrapped cocoon, looking for signs of any early awakening. Another voice was there too, an even softer one, an even more familiar one.

The being within the cocoon responded to the sounds of the voices, pulsing slightly, the flexible walls bending outward, then resting. Finally, the voices were at the mouth of the grave. The first one spoke very softly, saying a name with such care. Every year, that voice got deeper. Then the other one spoke, softer and never changing. And at the sound of this voice so close, the entity within the cocoon thrust roughly at the walls that surrounded.

The two voices went silent, waiting. When no other response was made, the first voice spoke, this time, loud enough to hear. "Can she hear us?"

"On an unconscious level, yes," The second voice replied. Again, at the sound of the voice, the cocoon gave way to another blow from the creature inside.

"She's responding to you," The first voice said, a smile in the voice. "It's probably because she thinks your gone. She's probably confused, even if on an unconscious level."

The other voice didn't reply. There was a silence for a few minutes, only small noises being heard, like the drops of stray rain, the rumbling of leftover thunder. Then the first voice spoke again, slightly in awe. "Will she respond to that?"

"She always does," The second voice said so quietly, it was almost inaudible.

Then it began. The Bach Cello Suite 5 in C Minor, Prélude. Within moments, the cocoon was pulsing evenly with the music, what looked like hands, pressing at the walls of the cocoon. They ran in circles, disappearing then reappearing. It looked as though the cocoon had it's own heartbeat, the way it would pulse twice, the first one strong, the second weaker.

Outside, it began to shower lightly, the gentle, yet mournful song of the Cello crying into the hollow echo of the grave. Each note, each chord rang against the cold stone, the emotions pouring from it's strings, dragging across the bow, it's vibrations going through the endpin, to the floor, traveling to the cocoon, filling it with a soft hum.

The soft crackle of the bow on strings, soaring to clear, high whines, then down to low, deep moans, the flutter of arpeggios and each note tripping into the next. The presence within the cocoon knew this song all too well. It pulsed more with the rising climax of sound, and settled when the notes quieted, lulling soothingly in the thick air. It finally ended on a breathtaking, major chord that resonated loudly and fully through the chamber.

"She knows that song so well," The first voice said in an appreciative tone.

"She was the one who taught me to play it," The other voice said quietly. The rain finally stopped outside, the many-layered whisper turning into a syncopated collage of different voices.

"We should get home before the next storm," The first voice suggested. "I'll give you a minute alone," The voice added. A series of footsteps and it seemed almost physically obvious that there was only one other being left in the room.

There were a few clicks, the slight hollow bump of an instrument being set in a case, then a last two clicks. Almost silent footsteps, and then two hands were set on the surface of the cocoon; one was warm and the fingers were spread over the curve of the wall. The other hand was oddly shaped and cold. The fingers weren't spread, but held together by some material, not to mention the hand itself seemed longer and bigger than the other one. Within the cocoon, two other hands pushed against the flexing wall, matching the two on the outside.

"Saya," The voice said softly, the sound full of devotion and love. "I'll be waiting like I always do."

The fingers on the inside wall curled, trying to lace into the other fingers.

"Saya," The voice whispered, the lips of the person against the cocoon. Then the lips, the hands, and the voice left, the footsteps carrying out of the grave, out into the heavy air. It smelled like another storm was coming, indeed. The two voices spoke briefly outside the grave, then their footsteps could be heard going down the long row of steps.

The cocoon quit pulsing entirely and fell still, resuming it's hibernation. The being inside, Saya, wrapped back into a fetal position and went back to sleep, the words of the second voice sitting gently in her stilled mind. The next storm began later on, the lightning cracking and spreading over the night sky, flashing inside the grave.

Suddenly, several voices, loud and howling, sounded from outside, then a rush of noise and footsteps, and they were inside the grave. Their approach must've been covered by the calamity the storm was causing.

"I hate storms," One of them shivered, sounding like a small girl.

"Where the hell are we?" Another one demanded, a teenage sounding boy.

"Who knows," What sounded like the oldest one - a girl - said. "At least we're out of the rain."

They were all so loud compared to the previous guest and Saya pushed slightly on the wall of the cocoon in protest. The three continued to argue or whatever they were doing, pacing around the confines of the dark grave, feet slapping over the moist floor.

"What's that?" The little girl said suddenly, sounding frightened. "Where's the flash light?"

"What's what?" The older girl demanded. There was a bit of rustling, then a sharp, blinding light erupted in the grave, shining fiercely through the membrane of the cocoon. "What in God's name is that?"

"Maybe it's an alien egg or something," The teenage boy offered. There was a sharp slapping sound and a cry of pain from the boy.

"That's ridiculous," The older girl snapped. "Give me your pocket knife and we'll see just what it is."

Saya, trapped in hibernation, couldn't do anything but push on the walls, trying desperately to make the strangers go away. Logic was not yet in her reach, only her survival instincts active.

"Did that thing just move?" The boy nearly exclaimed.

"You're hallucinating," She said in exasperation. She was in front of the cocoon now, the shadow of the knife visible through the thin membrane. "It's probably nothing."

"That thing is big enough for a person to be inside of it," The boy continued. "What if there's one of those freaky things in it? Those monsters we saw last week?"

"I highly doubt it," The girl said knowingly. Then she thrust the knife into the cocoon, inches from Saya's face. She pulled the knife downward, making a foot long slit in it's silky, stubborn texture. Light screamed into the cocoon as the girl discarded the knife and pulled forcefully on the edges of the opening she had made. The little girl held the flashlight, aiming it into the cocoon.

A piece of long, black hair hung out of the opening. The three got closer, trying to see though the webbing inside the cocoon. Then a thin hand fell into the opening and all three screamed and backed away.

"There's a _person_ in there!" The little girl screeched.

"Let's get out of here, _now_!" The oldest commanded. They gathered their things and ran back out into the down pour, leaving the cocoon wide open.


	2. Chapter 2

{2}Allemande.

She was lying on the cold stone steps, her body twisted in an odd position. Her hair, at her hips now, hung around her, spilling onto the stone. She had crawled laboriously out of the grave. She had forced herself out of the hibernation. Her cocoon had been tampered with and just two weeks of it pulled open as it was, now had her so malnourished she couldn't keep her eyes open. The moments she did open her eyes, she saw she had lost at least forty pounds or more.

And that voice. That voice, that person, the one who had played that beautiful song. She felt like he was so important. She wanted to see him. She wanted him to find her. She wanted _him_. Tears came into her eyes as she suddenly remembered that he was dead. Whoever that was, he was supposed to be dead for some reason. And that thought made her sob, shoulders heaving, making her hands grip the stone beneath her.

A memory, as quick as if someone had turned on a light switch, erupted in her closed eyes. An opera house. It was collapsing. She felt battered and exhausted. The man was there…Hagi. She felt her lips shape the name. He was in front of her, staring at her. And she blushed, blocking out the next part of the memory - she hadn't expected that.

Then she was being held back by a boy. He was close to her…Kai. Hagi was under an overhang, pinning a horrible creature against the wall. There was an urgency in the scene. The entire building was shaking furiously and Kai kept trying to pull her away from Hagi. He was going to follow. But no, the creature pierced him through the stomach. Hagi was now pinned too. He looked back at her and smiled and said, "I-"

"No!" She wailed, writhing from the memory, falling down a few more steps. Her heart was beating faster than she could handle. After that one memory, everything came flooding to her so fast, she didn't have time to cope with the first one.

And it started to rain. She was completely paralyzed by what flashed through her mind, so she just stayed there, bruising her limbs and back on the stone steps, gripping forcibly on the stone beneath her fingers.

Saya could feel her consciousness slipping, her head aching from all the information feeding back into her mind. It was far too early for her to be awake, let alone remember everything before her sleep. It was taxing on her already weak body and she shivered uncontrollably in the steady sheet of rain.

The only thing she could think to do before she might die on those steps, was call for Hagi. She cried his name into the rain, and screamed it in her mind. Even though he was supposed to be dead, she would continue. Even if when him and Kai visited was all a dream, she would call out to him.

Why, you may ask? Because she loved him.

Something was wrapped around her. She ran her fingers over it and recognized the familiar texture of Hagi's coat. She couldn't open her eyes, but felt her head cradled against someone's chest, though there was no heartbeat, just a steady rise and fall. There were arms around her, keeping her from the stone floor, attempting to keep her warm. She tried to move her body, but the muscles and joints were far too stiff. But she must have made some movement, for there was a voice above her.

"Saya," Was all he said.

And within moments of hearing the voice, she knew without a doubt that it was Hagi and he was just as alive as he had sounded weeks before. Her hands found his shirt and gripped to him with tenacious fingers, shaking unsteadily.

"H-hagi," She whimpered.

"I'm here, Saya," He said softly in her ear.

"D-don't leave m-me," She stuttered, trying to burrow into him. He held her closer.

"Never again," Hagi spoke so softly, it blended with the rain, lulling Saya back to sleep. And it wasn't her deep, hibernating sleep. No, it was a light sleep in comparison, just enough to give her a real dream, unlike the vague sounds and colors she would see in her long sleep.

And in her dream, she was wearing her school uniform. It was midday, the sun warming her skin and the ground beneath her cleats. Kai and Riku were watching her and her friend Kaori was cheering her on. This was what she used to always do, trying to get over the high jump. Her hands tightened into fists. She felt strong, she felt confident, she felt whole.

She flexed her shoulders, feeling the power in them. She flexed her legs, feeling their intensity. She wanted to run. She pushed forward, feeling the rush of adrenaline, the rush of wind, the feel of dirt beneath her feet. She planted her feet into the ground and vaulted upward, the white, horizontal pole leaving her line of sight as she twisted slowly to face the sky.

The sun passed over her face as she floated gracefully over the pole, reaching her hands over her head, twining them together. As she fell over, she arched her body, seeing the corner of the blue mat in her vision. It was waiting to catch her like it always did. And she cleared the pole, flipping in midair so she could land properly.

But the mat never came. She kept falling. But it wasn't a scary, uncomfortable feeling. The wind that passed her was soft and gentle. She couldn't make out her surroundings because it was too dark. Her body flipped and flipped, her arms and legs stretched out, bending against the wind. She eventually stopped flipping and faced the direction she was falling.

Her body arched against the wind resistance and she stretched her arms out like wings, her legs bending back, her body becoming one graceful curve against the rushing air.

"Saya," A woman's soft voice said, the sound echoing around her.

Her eyes snapped open and she fell back into her body with a jolt, her eyes confused by the brightness of her surroundings.

"Saya," The woman said again, from above her.

When she looked up at the voice's owner, she knew the beautiful dream was over. Julia was watching her with worried eyes, looking older now, but still just as pretty. Her hair was no longer held back by a tie. It was shorter and hung just past her shoulders.

"Julia-san," Saya whispered.

"You remember me," She sighed in relief. "We didn't know if you were going to remember anything."

She reached up and readjusted the IV of blood that hung above her. Saya followed the tube with her eyes and found it was connected to her arm, like always. But when she saw her arm, her heart sped up dramatically. The limb was half the size it had once been. The vein could even be seen, wrapping delicately around muscle and bone.

"Where am I?" Saya asked in a quiet voice.

"My office," Julia replied, taking out a clipboard and scribbling a few things down. "Just like old times."

"Where is everyone?" She asked.

Julia froze, staring at Saya with unreadable eyes. She set down the clipboard and then sat down on the side of the bed Saya was lying on. Her hands clasped together and her eyes dropped to her knees. "Saya, a lot of things have happened in the time you were asleep."

"Tell me what happened," Saya demanded, trying to sit up. Julia pressed a hand on her shoulder.

"Lay back down," She said. "Right now is not a good time. You need to rest."

"What's wrong with me?" Saya insisted, trying to get up again, but finding she was too weak.

"You're severely malnourished, Saya," Julia sighed, picking the clipboard back up and standing to check the IV once more. "We've gathered that your cocoon was tampered with, starving you of nutrients required for you to continue your hibernation." She paused. "At least that's what we learned from Hagi. We haven't gone to inspect the cocoon."

"Where's Hagi?" Saya said quickly and suddenly.

"I'm not sure right now," She replied uneasily. "Everything is very…up in the air right now."

"What do you mean?"

"We weren't expecting you for another twenty years, Saya," Julia took off her glasses and wiped them with the hem of her shirt. "We were not prepared; not with the shortage of people."

Before Saya could make anything of what she said, Julia drew the curtains around the bed. Disappearing footsteps told her that Julia had left the room. So she stayed there for a moment, staring at the window above her, like it was just yesterday she would come here for her transfusions. A shortage of people. Someone had died since she had gone to sleep, that was apparent.

And another thing. She felt so very awake. She wasn't tired like when she had pulled herself out of the cocoon, out into the cold night, down the rough, rugged steps. Saya lifted her hands and saw her arms were bruised all over. She imagined the rest of her body looked much the same. And she was so tiny and weak now. She straightened her arms and tried to push herself up into a sitting position.

But her muscles gave way and she fell back to the bed with a loud thump that probably bruised her again. She let out a small cry of pain.

"Saya." Her eyes had been closed when she heard her name being said so softly. Her eyelids fluttered open and she saw Hagi standing above the bed.

"Hagi," She nearly sobbed. She reached out with her now thin, frail hands, trying to reach him. He wrapped his hands around hers as gently as he could and pulled her up as he sat down on the side of the bed. Her fingers found his shirt once again and she pulled herself to him, burying her face against him.

And he held her close, holding tightly enough to show how much he missed her, but gently enough to stop from bruising her. He wasn't as warm as a human, but Saya was used to that. She was used to the coolness of his skin, a temperature that leaked to his clothing, too. And as she held on to him, craving the contact, she wondered if it was supposed to be this way. Was she supposed to fall in love with her Chevalier? Was he supposed to fall in love with her?

"I thought you were dead," She managed to whisper. "I fell asleep thinking I'd never see you again."

"I know," Hagi said softly. "I'm sorry."

"Promise you won't leave me like that again," Saya demanded.

"I promise."

Even when she should've released him, she continued to hold close to him. And it's not like he really minded, or at least he didn't seem to mind. Their proximity was unchanging, the minutes ticking by without movement. She was determined to make up for the time she'd been without him.

Ever since he had said those words that still made her blush, she had sudden gotten a grip on her feelings. With Diva alive, she had never been able to analyze her relationship with Hagi. And now, Diva was gone. And everything was right in front of her. She would tell him one day, she promised herself. She would tell him how she felt the same. But he probably knew anyway.

Then a thought occurred to her. Something that made her heart speed up three-fold. Now that there was nothing left to fight, she no longer required a Chevalier, did she? She didn't really know the rules to all of this, but now Diva was gone. What did she need help with? She was suddenly feeling like a snobby child.

"I'm being selfish, aren't I?" She shook her head and pulled away slightly.

"No, you're not," Hagi said.

"Yes I am, thinking I'll have you all to myself," Saya sighed, letting go of him completely now. "You can leave now. You don't have to stay my Chevalier. There's nothing left for me to fight."

"I won't leave you, Saya."

"Well, you can if you want to," She shrugged, staring at the white blanket over her. "I won't stop you."

His human hand pulled her face up by her chin, forcing her to look in his eyes. "I can't leave you. I wasn't here because you had something to fight." His eyes lightened and he just barely smiled. "I was and am here because I want to be. You are all I have, therefore you are everything."

Saya smiled. His words made her feel almost dizzy. There was a loud tap on the window to her right and when she looked out, she saw that it was a bird, something she hadn't seen for ten years. It was always so amazing to her how each year felt so long in that cocoon. It fluttered it's feathers for a moment, then took off once again, it's wings stuttering through the breeze.

"I've never seen you this thin." When she looked back at Hagi, he looked almost angry. "Do you remember who cut open the cocoon?"

"There were three of them; an older girl, a boy and a little girl," Saya replied her fists tightening at the thought of them. She knew she should be angry with them, but there had been something they had said that got to her. It was just at the tip of her memory…but she couldn't quite grasp it. Whatever the reason, she just couldn't force herself to be angry at them.

"I'll find them," Hagi said.

"No." Saya stopped him, putting a hand over his. "Don't."

"Why not?"

"I…I don't know," She trailed off. "For some reason…I just can't be mad at them. There's something they said that…" She looked back up at Hagi's expectant eyes. "I can't remember right now."

Hagi looked as thought he were about to speak, but there was a loud knock on the door. "Saya?"

It was that first voice; Kai. He really did sound so much older.

"Come in," She said softly.

The door swung open and the breeze it created made the curtain around the bed bend and sway. He came around the opening, an enormous smile on his face. Before Saya could even smile in return, he pulled her into a nearly bone crushing hug. It was painful, but Saya didn't dare make a sound. When he finally let go, he said, "I've missed you so much."

And as he stared at her with smiling eyes, she looked over his appearance now. He really didn't look that much older. His eyes were a little darker and his shoulders were broader. He was just a hair taller and his hands were huge compared to hers, which were lost in his. He dressed like an university kid. She imagined he would probably be out of college by now, if he even attended.

Though, she didn't know what she expected him to do. Even after Diva's defeat, when they went back to Okinawa and reopened Omoru's, she didn't know what he'd do. Go back to school? Just stay at the restaurant and carry on their father's work?

"I missed you too, Kai," She said. "I heard you."

"You heard me?" He asked, suddenly confused.

"When you came to visit me. You brought Hagi and he played," She smiled, remembering that time in her vague memory.

"You really remember that?" He turned to Hagi. "I thought you said she was only aware on an unconscious level."

"I focused on that memory," She explained, not really understanding it herself.

The door suddenly opened without anyone knocking. The breeze disturbed the curtains once again and an annoyed looking Julia appeared. "What is this?" She scowled. "Saya is not ready for this many visitors."

"It's only two of us!" Kai complained as though he were a child again.

"I don't care," She fussed, pulling his arm. "Both of you, out. Leave Saya alone"

Saya nodded when Hagi looked at her, and he left with Kai. Julia let out a long sigh and settled on the edge of the bed. "I don't know why you put up with Kai. He may be older now, but he's just as troublesome."

Saya could only smile in return, remembering the days when it was her, dad, Kai and Riku, all living and working in Omoru's. The memory was so bittersweet, she found her eyes watering. She mumbled something about sleep as her excuse to roll over and hide the tears.

"Goodnight, Saya," Julia whispered, and the weight left the side of the bed.


	3. Chapter 3

{3}Courante.

It was three in the morning.

Saya knew not by the hands on the clock across the room, but by the sensations running through her body. It had been three when she had crawled out of her cocoon, her thin, now fragile body slamming mercilessly against the rough stone. Her body stung now, the bruises reminding her of that terrifying moment of pain and confusion. She could remember seeing her hands grip the stone, looking down to see her hip bones protruding sickeningly from her body, seeing each rib rippling under her pale skin.

She rolled onto her side and managed to sit up. For some reason, she wanted badly to go outside, to feel the spring air. She set her bare feet on the cold tile and winced. Temperatures were more extreme for her now. As she started to push herself up into a standing position, she wondered idly if she could even walk. But by the time she was standing upright, she was pleased to find that her balance was acceptable enough to walk.

Saya opened the door as silently as she could and looked into the hallway. It was empty so she slipped out of the room and closed the door softly behind her. She felt like she was sneaking, but then again, if anyone found her, they wouldn't let her go outside. They would insist she stay in and rest. But sleeping was something she found she could not grasp. No, not after ten years of it.

As she made her way quietly down the hall, her mind wandered back to Hagi. She wondered where he was. Surely he would eventually find her outside. Or maybe he was even following her now. She didn't look back to check either. Even if he was, it didn't matter. He probably wouldn't stop her.

Everything was dead silent in the building. She wondered if Kai had gone home or if anyone else was here. She thought of her little nieces, if they were here, or with Kai. Who had been looking after them since she was asleep?

She reached a set of stairs that she was sure led to the roof. And after one flight of steps, she found herself gasping for air. "This…is…ridiculous," She scolded herself.

Then, out of no were, arms slipped under her legs and caught her back. She wasn't too surprised. She had taken into consideration that Hagi might have followed so it was a shock when she looked up to see his face, half of it illuminated by the moon through the large windows in the staircase, the other half in shadow. "You could've just asked to go to the roof. I would've taken you."

"I didn't want to trouble anyone," She sighed, closing her eyes. "I wanted to do it myself."

"Don't push yourself too hard," He said quietly.

"I can't stand being so weak," She nearly whined. She thought she saw him barely smile. Within moments, it seemed, they were at the top of the stairs and through the door. The cool air came to Saya's face and she sighed. Hagi let her down gently and she slowly made her way to the edge.

When her hands touched the edge, the sounds of the Bach Cello Suite hummed through the night. As the Cello rang into the atmosphere, her eyes traveled over the city lights, gleaming gently against the dark blue sky. She closed her eyes and still saw the color - dark blue. Bach flooded her ears and all she could think was dark blue. Yes, that was the sound - dark blue. It stopped for a moment, then continued like it always did, that pause making her hold her breath, then release when the notes swirled once again like leaves falling from trees in autumn.

The wind picked up and blew through her long hair, teasing along the roots, twirling the strands. She lifted her hands and held them against the gust, feeling it pool around her fingers, as though the wind and the music were combined into a liquid that spun all around her, through her, all over. The sound became deep and low, then to ended on a beautiful, yet harsh chord.

As quickly as the experience began, it was over and she opened her eyes to see the city lights once again, a little brighter now in contrast with the dark blue that had filled her closed vision. She looked back and saw Hagi was now putting the Cello back in it's case.

"It's so beautiful now," She smiled. "You finally mastered it."

He looked up at her as he closed the clasps on the steel case. "Its time you finally taught me another song."

"I will," She promised, then looked back out at the city. It seemed dimmer now, after looking back at Hagi. And she realized this with a slight blush. Then he was beside her, leaning against the side of the roof, his elbows propped on the concrete.

"Saya," He began. "If you need my blood…"

"Hagi," She closed her eyes, wishing he hadn't said it, but knowing it was inevitable. "I don't want to do that anymore."

"Use it if you need it," He said. Her eyes opened and she looked at him, trying to make her gaze assertive.

She frowned. Even though she knew that it wouldn't bother Hagi in the least - it would actually be nearly blissful to him - she didn't want to. She felt like she was stealing when she took his blood. Sometimes she couldn't accept the fact that Hagi belonged solely to her, even though the idea made her stomach flutter slightly. No, she wouldn't think that unless she told Hagi that she was solely his. And she didn't plan on saying that. Though she meant it and it's how she felt, she couldn't get over that obstacle of embarrassment in her own words. She could already feel the blush coming.

"Do you want me to?" She asked, even though it was a stupid question, she knew he would answer it despite himself and what he wanted.

"I want you to heal," He replied, his eyes piercing into hers. "I would never ask for it out of my own want."

"I know that, Hagi," Saya smiled slightly, laying her hand over his. "Let's go back in."

For the next few days, Saya was told to keep inside. For some reason, Julia found out about her early morning trip to the roof, and scolded her about health and rehabilitating, though there seemed to be other reasons behind the lecture.

And just when Saya was getting so curious about where everyone was, on the verge of asking Hagi if he knew anything, Kai came to visit. Hagi left the room, allowing them privacy and the moment the door closed, she started the interrogation.

"Where is everyone?" She demanded.

Kai looked rather shocked at the blunt statement and took a moment to regain somewhat of a composure. "Julia doesn't want me telling you."

"That's not fair, Kai," She frowned. "They are my friends too."

He sighed. "Are you sure you're ready to hear about this?"

"Will I ever be ready?" She felt almost nervous to hear this now.

"I guess not," He shook his head. "Who do you want to hear about first?"

"David-san, I suppose."

Kai cringed. "You're not going to like this."

"Just tell me," Saya almost snapped. She was sick of the evasiveness.

"He's dead, Saya," Kai closed his eyes. "And what's worse, because of the grief, Julia had a miscarriage."

She couldn't stifle the gasp that slipped from her lips. She covered her mouth with her hand, horrified at what she thought would've been the start of a happy family, being ruined so suddenly. "How?"

"Cancer," Kai sighed. "He'd had it for a while, but it struck so suddenly, by the time they found out, it was too late. He died a month after you fell asleep."

"Did he know when I was still awake?"

"Yes."

She cringed. And they had kept that from her? Perhaps they figured it would be better if she fell asleep thinking everyone would be waiting for her. She didn't know if she appreciated that, or was angry about it. But she had a feeling that wasn't the only loss. "And Lewis?"

"He's in America with Joel," Kai replied. "They're doing some type of research over there."

"Lulu?"

"The Thorn couldn't be held off," He said darkly.

Saya nearly moaned at this. She covered her face with her hands, seeing Lulu's smiling face behind her closed eyes, hearing her cheery, child's voice in her ears.

"Mao's in college and so is Kaori," Kai supplied, maybe trying to cheer her up.

And this did make her feel a little better. The thought of her best friend in college was almost entertaining. She wished she could visit her, but how could she explain ten years and still looking sixteen? Surely she could come up with some reasonable excuse, but Kaori had seemed to become ridiculously perceptive since the last time they had been together. Her friend would probably see right through the pretense.

Then something obvious and worrying hit her.

"The twins?" She said suddenly.

Kai's face went a little pale, his eyes a little wider. Panic flooded through Saya, her heart pounding through her chest.

"What?" She demanded. "Tell me."

Kai swallowed audibly. "They disappeared a few months ago."

"What do you mean 'disappeared'?" She repeated.

"The past ten years they have been normal, happy, healthy girls," He explained. "They showed no signs of Diva's behavior. They acted like normal humans."

"But?"

"But," He continued. "then one day, they started acting strange. They would barely talk to anyone, they would go out at night, then come back looking exhausted." He stopped for a moment, then started again. "Finally, one day, they didn't return. And on the news, there was a report of two people murdered, the blood drained from their bodies.

"We haven't see nor heard from them since," He finished.

"They are no longer in Okinawa?" She asked breathlessly.

"If they were, I'd imagine we'd know," Kai said darkly. "If they killed before they left, then wouldn't they kill again if they were still here?" He shook his head. "There are murders like that all over the world, not all authentic, some obviously posed to look like a chiropteran did it. There's no telling where they are now."

"If they hold the same fate as my sister and I, it won't take much to find them," Saya whispered. She was shocked and also feeling guilty. If only she had just destroyed them when she had the chance. But the memory of those two, still wrapped in their cocoons, smiling faces and precious laughter…no, she couldn't have been able to kill them. Or even let Hagi kill them.

There was an unsure, dark silence in the room. Kai looked almost nervous and focused solely on the toe of his right shoe. Saya knew what they were both thinking - would they become the next Saya and Diva? Or would they both be like Diva? Such daunting questions were making her heart rate skyrocket and her vision waver.

Maybe she swayed a bit, or looked sick. Whatever it was, something she did made Kai touch her shoulder and stare at her with concern. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," She tried to smile. "I was just lost in thought." Before Kai could ask what, she prompted a more casual question. "What have you been doing the past ten years?"

He smiled back. "I've mostly been trying to juggle working at Omoru's and night school at the university. I just couldn't let go of Omoru's, but I don't want to be some loser without any further education."

Saya couldn't help but laugh at the way he said it; like he thought he was already a loser and was desperately trying to change that fact. And the small talk continued. But to Saya, it was better than their previous conversation. She liked hearing about Kai's new life and his new relationship with Mao. It was something to distract her from more depressing thoughts.

When Kai finally left, she fell back onto the bed, nearly exhausted from the conversation. For some reason, talking to Kai was a highly taxing affair; with all the cut corners and cover-ups, double meanings and careful surveillance of words and reactions, no wonder she felt exhausted.

Eventually, Hagi came back in, an odd look on his face. And she didn't even ask him what was wrong. She didn't think she wanted to know. She knew enough as it was. Her eyelids threatened to fall on their own accord so she took the opportunity to leave the conscious world for a while and avoid anymore painful or tragic news.

It had been a few weeks now. Slowly but surely, Saya's strength and weight was returning to normal. She was still easily fatigued, but she was now going up to the roof every night, despite Julia's orders to stay indoors at night. Though Saya continuously bugged the doctor about the true reason behind the directive, no information was shared, leaving Saya too curious and too unsatisfied.

So in a way, going to the roof was a punishment to Julia for the withholding of information. Saya still hadn't even mentioned that she knew about Julia's loss, but she was sure the woman knew that she was aware of it. She apparently didn't have a child, otherwise she would tell Saya all about him or her. So she supposed it was a silent agreement that they would just not bring it up.

And thinking about punishing Julia for anything sounded cruel and coldhearted when she remembered what the poor, now, widow, had gone through. So she settled with the other facts, her other reason for going to the roof at night - to be alone with Hagi.

Sure, he barely left her side when she was resting in bed, walking down the halls, rebuilding her muscles. But at those times, anyone could walk in and interrupt whatever they were discussing. Though anything they discussed when people were around wasn't very interesting, it was nerve-racking for Saya. For some reason, she felt like the feelings she had for him and the feelings he had for her would seem wrong to other people and that they needed to hide it from public eyes.

Whether Hagi thought this too or he was just doing what Saya wished, it remained that things would be much more intimate on the roof, in the middle of the night when half the city was sleeping with it's lights glowing in the distance. And she now insisted on going up the stairs without assistance. She was now only twenty pounds underweight, but her muscles were still depleted slightly. She kept having to take breaks between flights, cursing her weak body and it's inability to facilitate her wants efficiently.

It was when they were both sitting together on the roof, their backs against the edge, did Hagi ask, "You still need to teach me a new song."

Saya couldn't help but smile. "Do you think I'll still remember how to play, though?"

"You will," He replied softly.

She nodded and stood, sitting instead on the ledge, while Hagi took the nearly red-colored Cello out of it's case. He tightened and rosined the bow for her, then handed her the instrument and bow. "More Bach?"

"Whatever you want to teach me next," He said.

And so she thought back to all the songs she remembered from the days when she still lived at the Zoo and the first Joel had taught her so many Cello Suites, she knew them all by heart and hummed them unconsciously.

When she had taught Hagi to play the Bach Cello Suite 5, Prélude, she had picked it because it was the beginning; it almost symbolized _their_ beginning, in a way. And because it sounded sad and happy at the same time. It had moments it sounded of mysterious, dark, near tragedy, then moments of bright, beautiful, near glee. It was haunting in its own way. And it had reminded her of him. And now she didn't know which one to pick.

So she just started to play. She didn't play the Prélude, but the next one, Allemande. It was dramatic and majestic in it's own sense, but not interesting enough. She went on to then Courante, Sarabande, and Gavotte. However, before she could even play the next one, she realized that it would be the one she would teach him.

Gigue.

It was a little faster and a little more challenging what with it's increase in chords and its high and lower reaching notes. It was much like the Prélude, but a little more powerful and modest. It made a larger statement than the soft, almost crying Prélude.

She had taught him the beginning; why not the end?

It was the last movement of the 5 Cello Suite.

So she lifted the bow once more, feeling her soft fingers press into the strings as though she were just feeling them for the first time. When she played Allemande, she hadn't even noticed how she just simply played, but now she was almost over thinking it. Before she could play, she had to banish all thoughts from her mind, so she looked at Hagi.

"This is the one I want you to learn," She told him, feeling her lips curve into a smile.

She let the bow hover just over the strings, positioning her fingers on the fingerboard, readying herself for the leaps she would have to make. A deep breath, and then the sounds were flying out. She played it at the perfect tempo; fast enough to make Hagi's eyes widen slightly and watch her hands even more carefully, but slow enough to sound expressive and emotional.

And she let the notes ring into the night, wanting every single one to sound perfect. Even when her soft fingertips started to burn from the pressure and when her hand ached from holding down the strings, she forced herself onward. Her right hand started to hurt too, from holding the bow. Another stab of pain would flash through her hand and wrist when she'd flutter her hand for more vibrato, or when a combination of notes would require quick movements from the bottom of the fingerboard, to the top.

Despite all the aches and pains, somehow, her emotions prevailed and every note and chord sounded like something out of her dreams. Something a professional Cellist would spill out, instead of just Saya.

She could tell that Hagi was impressed. And it's not like he had heard her really play much before. The only other time he would have heard her, was back when they lived at the Zoo and she had her lessons. But that was also when he had chores to do. He had only heard her play the Prélude.

She finished the piece and handed the instrument to Hagi. He took it and stared at her. "Why do you wish to teach me that one?"

"Because it's the end of the 5 Cello Suite," She replied. "You already know the beginning."

"What about in between?" He asked.

She hesitated. Surely anyone else would've figured he meant the other Suites, but the question meant so much more to her. She knew what he meant immediately. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt her breath catch. "So you don't like Gigue?"

"What's your favorite?" His eyes were studying hers carefully.

"Courante," She replied a little breathlessly.

"Then teach me that one," He said gently, touching her cheek briefly, then handing the instrument back to her.

Their eyes met for a long moment, their faces illuminated by the city behind them. Her heart was already speeding up. It almost looked like he was slowly moving closer to her, but her eyes snapped down to the Cello and broke contact with him. "Okay."

She lifted the bow, but her hand started to shake too much. She tried to steady it, but pain was shooting through her wrist, making it impossible to settle. The bow slipped from her fingers suddenly and the pain spread so quickly up her arm, she let out a short, abrupt cry. Hagi must have caught the bow and taken the Cello from her because there was suddenly nothing in her hands.

"I'm s-sorry," Saya apologized. "I'm just not used to playing anymore."

"Another time," Was all Hagi said. Then he pulled her to him. It was such a rapid movement, she hadn't realized what happened when her eyes were suddenly eclipsed with darkness and the scent of Hagi filled her senses. She was shocked at first, but after a moment she settled against him, huddling closer.

It was this kind of proximity that made her heart beat louder, her face warmer, her worries seem dimmer compared to the glare of such intimate contact. And eventually, it was forced to end. As they went down the stairs at a slow, even pace, Saya refused to let go of Hagi's hand.


	4. Chapter 4

{4}Sarabande.

There was something foul lurking through the streets.

Saya had been hearing the rumors since she returned to Omoru's, finally recovering from the weak condition she had been discovered in. She was still a little too thin, but she could now eat almost as much as a normal person - now managing to keep it all down - and kept a decent sleeping schedule, unlike the unorthodox one she kept at Julia's office, what with her constant exhaustion.

She was now exercising on a regular basis, conditioning her body back to the fit, strong being it had once been. It was tedious and she found herself coming home to only eat and drop into her bed. But in her mind it was worth it. And now with the rumors of nasty creatures on the streets, she knew she would have to get tougher quick.

It would undoubtedly be Chiropterans.

In her mind, going back to what she had said to Hagi, it was something for her to fight, therefore her way of justifying Hagi staying by her side. And he seldom did leave her side. On her early morning walks, he was behind her like a shadow. When she was at the nearby gym, working herself into a drenched sweat, he sat outside the building like a watchdog. It was a little daunting at first, but after hearing those rumors, she was sure that he was concerned she would be attacked, still underweight and too weak.

It was so annoying, though, being so weak. It made her angry, in a way. Not at the kids who caused it, but just at the fact that it happened and now she had to actually worry about being unable to fight for herself.

She still went to Julia's once a week for her transfusions and a check up. She was steadily gaining all her weight back and at this point, she _could_ fight if she had to. Her arms were no longer thin and wiry like before. After some tips from Julia and tweak in her diet, she left the office, surprised to see Hagi not there. She looked around, slightly surprised, but then she realized what he was doing.

Of course he was giving her space. He had apologized numerous times a few days before about being by her constantly. She had waved it off and said, "I understand, Hagi. It's fine."

And now, only ten pounds away from her natural weight, she would undoubtedly be able to walk home alone without any problems. It was only two in the afternoon and the sidewalks were sprawling with people. If she were to be attacked, well, the chiropterans weren't foolish enough to do it during broad daylight. But still, she clutched convulsively at the knife in her skirt pocket.

But eventually, she eased up and found herself circling a few blocks, stalling. The weather felt so good against her skin, the wind whipping through her long hair - spring was comfortable.

Then suddenly, "Oh my god! It's her!"

Saya whirled around, hand flying to her knife. In front of her was a teenage boy around twelve. His dark brown hair was dirty, his brown eyes tired and red, though still shocked. His clothes were ragged, a beaten back pack on his shoulder. He was suddenly flanked by a little girl around eight, also clothed in ripped fabric, and an older girl around fourteen, who had ridiculously shiny black hair, contrasting to her worn attire.

"Who?" The little girl asked, staring at me with tired blue eyes.

"You mean that girl we found a while back?" The older girl demanded, eyes searching Saya with unrelenting intensity.

Their voices recalled a memory. A memory that had been replaying since the frightening night she had pulled herself out of her ruined cocoon. These were the kids who had done it. The older girl that scrutinized her seemed to suddenly realize it _was_ her. Her dark eyes went wide and her mouth opened in shock.

Saya, herself, was utterly speechless. Though she had decided that she didn't hate these people, she felt a twinge of anger towards them and their ignorance. Surely if someone were to stumble across something they didn't understand, they would just leave it be. But by looking at the girl, Saya could tell what kind of person she was; she had risked Saya's life, just to show the other two how brave and right she was.

"You're the alien," The little girl said, not in horror, but in awe. "The one from the thing Ayumi cut open."

"She doesn't look like an alien to me," The boy scoffed, closely inspecting Saya's facial features.

Finally, the anger surfaced and Saya found herself glaring at this blasé children.

Apparently her glare was more frightening than she had imagined. The three backed away slightly. Someone bumped against her shoulder and she realized they were still standing in the middle of the sidewalk, their concentration now broken by the complaints of passersby.

"Come with me," Saya said as calmly as she could manage. She went down the closest alleyway, the other three - too curious to stay away, to cautious to stay too close - followed her as they went between two department stores. The alley led to the next street where Saya was aware of her favorite park. It wasn't a playground, like most parks, so children were not of abundance here.

She led the way to a bench, deep within the park's confines, and allowed the three to sit before her. She would not sit; she was far too anxious to know about them and what they had said that registered as important in her memory, but too obscured to be recalled now.

The boy and the little girl fidgeted in their seats, cheeks red with shame, but the older girl, Ayumi, sat between them, eyes alight with curiosity and, unfortunately, attitude.

"Now," Saya began, trying to calm her breathing, "tell me exactly what you were thinking when you decided to cut open the only thing that supplied me with the proper nutrients for another twenty years of sleep."

Ayumi's eyes went slightly wide. "What are you?"

"That is not necessary to the situation at hand," Saya snapped. She felt uneasy, frustrated, and over-eager all at once. It was like being in the same place as a murderer. "Let's just say that the cocoon, which you so zealously destroyed, was my life line. I am supposed to stay in that cocoon for thirty years. It has only been ten."

Three large eyes stared at her incredulously.

"So I was forced to abandon that cocoon, my body already drained of nutrients and muscle," She went on. She knew that she might've been giving too much information, but she wanted these children to understand the result of what they had started. "You were the cause of my starvation, and the fact that for the last month, I've been struggling to gain back twenty lost pounds and another twenty pounds of muscle I once had. You practically cut off my lifeline, therefore resulting in numerous blood transfusions and nutrient transfusions."

Their eyes seemed to be getting even wider.

"So, please, for the sake of my own curiosity, explain to me why you felt it necessary to tamper with things you don't understand," She finished, beginning to feel like a nagging mother. By the look on even Ayumi's face, they were definitely feeling quite guilty.

And after a moment of deliberation, it was the boy who spoke first.

"We were scared," He said in an honest, nearly shaking voice. Ayumi slapped him on the arm, hissing.

"She doesn't need to know a thing about us," Ayumi nearly snarled.

The boy ignored her. "We _were_ scared. We had just had a run in with a horrible monster. We went into the grave to get out of the rain and hide from it. When we saw your cocoon, we thought it was something to do with them. We thought the cocoon was like an egg-sack for those monsters."

"Look," Ayumi said in a flustered voice, "we didn't know we were starving you, okay? We're just trying to stay alive. We are constantly on the run and being followed by those creatures." She paused, very obviously gathering her dignity. "We're sorry."

Saya didn't exactly know what to say. Their story…well, she obviously believed them. It was slightly ironic that they thought her cocoon was holding a Chiropteran, when it really _was_. But some compassionate part of her rose from the murky depths of her human emotions, and she was suddenly sympathetic to their plight.

"You forgive us, right, Miss?" The little girl cajoled, tears in her eyes.

"Of course," Saya muttered. She turned to Ayumi. "What do these creatures look like?"

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but the boy spoke first. "They're real tall when they stand up on their hind legs, but when they run, they're on four legs. They got these glowing, yellow eyes with slits, and these weird looking snouts. Huge teeth, long tongues that hang out of their mouths, and big ears." He paused to give a generic, Halloween-ghost-story shiver. "And they feed on human blood."

"Oh, Riku, they _do not_!" Ayumi scolded him. Riku; the name struck a nerve, even though Saya knew it was a common name. And even the brightness in the boy's eyes reminded her heavily of _her_ Riku, the one she loved so dearly, but doomed to eternal life. The one her sister took.

"That's just what I heard from some boys by the docks!" Riku defended, eyes still bright and nearly glowing.

"And you believe them?" Ayumi asked incredulously.

And they continued to bicker. Saya, who had been bent over so she was eye-level with the three kids, straightened and looked nervously around. There were a few people walking through the park, the token old hermit sitting on another bench, surrounded by birds, tossing bits of bread out for them. She hadn't noticed the two had gone silent, until Ayumi spoke, the low tenor of her voice softer than before.

"What are those creature?" She asked, eyes drilling into Saya's.

"Chiropterans," Saya replied, her lips barely moving.

"Chiropterans," Ayumi repeated. "I've heard that name before. On the streets."

"Are you going to get rid of them, miss?" The little girl asked, eyes huge and imploring.

"What's your name?" Saya asked, smiling and crouching in front of the girl.

"Ai," She chimed.

"Yes, Ai-chan, I'm going to get rid of them," Saya said, forcing a smile. Ai smiled in return.

With a glance at her watch, Saya straightened up once more, the smile fading as she remembered she really needed to return to Omoru's. The sounds of the park, which had been innocent and normal, now seemed blurred and twisted to Saya's ears, what with the now confirmed existence of Chiropteran in Okinawa.

"What's your name?" Riku asked.

"Saya," She replied, snapping out of her alert surveillance of the park. "Do me a favor."

"What?" All three said together, in a way only siblings could.

"Stay off the streets at night, avoid alleyways at all times, and find somewhere safe to sleep for the next week," She commanded.

"Why?" Ayumi demanded cautiously. It was Riku's turn to slap _her_ on the leg.

"You idiot!" He said in an exasperated tone. "To avoid the Chiropterans!"

"I have to go," Saya said shortly, cutting off Ayumi's retort.

"What if we need you? What if the monsters find us anyway?" Ai said, sounding close to tears.

"Don't worry," Saya promised, trying to smile, but coming up short - if probably looked like a grimace. "I'll find you if it comes to that."

Then she left them. She found her way easily out of the park, navigating familiarly through the city. She would've felt as if things were back to normal, had she not been so aware of every movement, every sound, and every voice on the streets. The three kids were endearing, despite what they had done. She supposed that now she had gotten almost back to normal, she wasn't as angry now as she would've been a month ago.

It was nearing three o'clock, time passing unusually faster than it had been in a long time. She took the shortest route possible to Omoru's, and slipped inside the cool building.

"Hey, Saya," Came Kai's usual, happy call. He saw her face and his smile disappeared. She barely noticed Hagi standing by the stairs, leaning against the wall, staring out the window. She collapsed onto a stool, feeling utterly exhausted, as Kai brought her a glass of water. "What's wrong?"

"I ran into the kids who ripped open my cocoon," Saya replied after chugging the water; it had been hotter outside than she realized.

"You _what_?" Kai's was loud and disbelieving.

"It's okay, Kai," Saya shook her head. "They're just some homeless, frightened kids. They thought my cocoon was a Chiropteran egg-sack or something."

Kai apparently couldn't help but chuckle.

"And then they told me about what's on the streets," Saya said gravely. "About what they were hiding from the night they came into the grave."

"Chiropteran, then?" Kai immediately went back into his serious mode.

Saya nodded. "After their description, without a doubt."

"So, what are you going to do?" He inquired, leaning his chin on his hand.

"What else?" Saya replied. "Get rid of them."

Two things happened simultaneously. Kai started first, saying, "Oh, no you wont!" and then a firm hand gripped her arm and she turned to see Hagi staring her down with unfathomable eyes.

"You're no where near ready for that," Hagi said darkly, the end of his sentence blending into more of Kai's disapproving words.

"Are you out of your mind?" He continued.

Saya waited, half amused, half annoyed, for Kai to shut up and Hagi to let go of her. When those things happened, she sighed. "Well, at least you two approve." She shook her head and slid off the stool, trying to disguise her stumble as klutziness and not weakness. "Look, I don't really have a choice. I'm not going to make you go out there by yourself," She looked pointedly at Hagi, "and I'm not going to let you go out there with your guns." Kai scowled when she looked at him.

"You're still too weak, Saya," Hagi insisted quietly.

"Yeah, what he said," Kai added, glaring at her.

"Well, with the twins having disappeared, these Chiropteran are small fish in comparison," Saya reasoned, now knowing she had the upper hand. "I can't let these things run rampant on Okinawa, and I have to start somewhere."

They both continued to stare at her dubiously.

"You know I have a point," She sighed.

"And I think I speak for both of us when I say I'm trying to ignore it," Kai frowned, crossing his arms. One look at Hagi told he was right.

For some reason, she was becoming easily frustrated today. With a half sigh, half growl, she started towards the stairs, saying angrily over her shoulder, "When you guys are done acting like children, let me know. Either way, I'm still going out tonight."

She made her way up the stairs, found her door in the darkness of the windowless hallway, and slammed it unnecessarily. Sure, she was acting childish, as she sauntered across the room to her bed, where she collapsed, but she _did_ have a point. Their overprotective demeanor was going to get them nowhere. Before she went to sleep, she wasn't a frail, little girl whom everyone fussed over. Now, because of a little hibernation mishap, everyone wanted to keep her indoors and out of the world.


	5. Chapter 5

{5}Gavotte.

A few hours later, there was a soft knock on her door. She had been dozing, just dancing on the edge of consciousness. Her puce eyes snapped open, her body jolting at the sound. Her anger was long gone, so when she deliberated who it might be, she found it didn't matter and muttered, "Come in."

The door opened and Hagi stepped in. She didn't have to look to know it was him. The door clicked shut and he crouched by her head, eyes dark and still unreadable as before. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine now," She sighed. "I'm sorry I got angry."

"It's fine," He shook his head. "I understand why you were upset. And you're right." He paused. "I was just being selfish."

Saya smiled sleepily. "I guess we're both guilty of that now."

He nearly smiled, but something seemed to be troubling him. It was the same expression he wore, weeks before, after the conversation she had with Kai about what happened to some of the Red Shield members. Before, she let it slide because her exhaustion, but worry swept over her like a frigid blanket and she pulled herself up on her elbows to look closely at him. "What's wrong, Hagi?"

"It's nothing," He said, his voice without inflection.

"There's something bothering you - I can tell," Saya insisted. "What is it?"

"It's just a continuation of how selfish I've been acting," Hagi's eyes were bordering ancient sadness, their depths opening slightly. "Ever since you've woken, I've been acting like this. I'm sorry."

"Hagi, it's okay. Just tell me."

He just sighed slightly, the closed his eyes, as if he were tired, though they both that sleep was beyond reach for him. When he opened them again, they were no longer unfathomable. They reminded Saya very much of when Hagi was younger and he was still getting over the fact his parents had sold him. That deep, irrepressible pain and sadness. Almost as if there were no hope left on the earth. And just like before, Saya felt the strong urge to take him in her arms - so she followed that urge.

She sat up and pulled him against her, cradling his head in her arms. She heard his quick intake of breath, the surprise at the swift movement. Then his arms came around her waist, bringing her closer. And as they sat in complete silence, Saya found a soft, gentle comfort she only knew with Hagi. It was different with other people. Things could be quiet, unobtrusive, but true silence was something her and him could only achieve together.

In her closed eyes, she saw flashes of the days back in the manor, at the Zoo. Everything led back to that damned place. Remembering the first time they met, and where they were now - time had not been particularly kind on their moments together, the way it pulled and rocked the ground beneath their feet, forcing them to not put very much trust in it's solidity.

Eventually, like always, they had to pull away. But this time was not willingly. There was a loud crash downstairs and a series of loud, banging footsteps coming up the to her room. They pulled apart, eyes meeting for only a moment, then Hagi was off the floor, getting out her sword - something she hadn't seen in ten years - and tossing it to her. As she caught it with a loud click, she heard the snarls downstairs as the Chiropteran threaded it's destructive way through the dishes on the counter.

Kai burst through the door, blood streaming down his forehead, determination all over his face. "Excuse me," He said quickly slipping in between Saya and the bed, going for the closet. In mere seconds, he was holding two guns.

The ruckus downstairs paused for a moment. Then there was something moving up the stairs in a wake of disturbance. As if she'd been doing it everyday during those ten years, Saya unsheathed the sword with a hollow, metallic ring, and slit her palm against the sharp head of her sword, coating it with blood.

"Just like old times," Kai muttered, and then she went forward through the doorway, Hagi and Kai flanking her.

Saya was still bleeding by the time it was over. She picked up a handful of what looked like Erythrite, in it's ruddy glory. Kai had already gone to get some garbage bags - strangely useful at a time like this - and the blood was still flowing freely from her shoulder. In a matter of seconds, her eyesight dwindled and she was falling backwards, sword falling from her grip and colliding solidly with the wooden floor.

"You haven't healed yet," Hagi murmured, catching her as always. "You need blood."

Kai walked up the steps with the garbage bags, looking doubtfully at the crude implements, then caught sight of Saya. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Saya lied, allowing Hagi to pick her up.

"I guess I'll clean this up." Kai looked down at the crystals, face discouraged.

"I'll help you when this dizzy spell goes away," Saya promised as Hagi took her back into her room; she knew what he was going to make her do. She dreaded it.

Kai grunted and started picking up handfuls.

The door was shut and the setting sun filled her blurry eyes as Hagi crouched in front of her, pulling gently at her coat. She slipped it off and revealed the deep cut, blood gushing steadily from it.

"Take my blood," Hagi said softly. "You won't have enough time to get to Julia's." He paused. "I'm sorry."

Saya bit her lip. She remembered what he had said on the roof that night they spoke of it. _Take it if you need it_. Logic was winning this battle now. She nodded and whispered, "I'm sorry, Hagi."

She leaned her face towards his neck and brushed his hair out of the way. And right before her teeth pressed into him, she heard him whisper, "You don't need to apologize. It's yours anyway."

"Regardless," She breathed, lips moving against his cold skin. And then she sunk in, feeling the rush of liquid in her mouth, the bittersweet taste, the _intoxicating_ smell. She barely noticed the hands gripping her shoulders, the fingertips digging in, but not in pain - in pleasure. As the blood flowed thickly down her throat, she could feel her body regenerating, the strange sensation of flesh braiding together over her wound.

Once she felt her wounds healing, she pulled out and licked away traces of blood as his wound healed in mere seconds. When she pulled away, she couldn't look at Hagi. She stood, wiped her mouth and said, "Thank you."

After a moment in silence, she walked out of the room and helped Kai clean the rest of the expired Chiropteran. The pieces were sharp and cut both of their fingers, but neither of them said a word. The job was finished in minutes and when Kai and her both stood, there was an understanding in his eyes.

"You're going to go look for the others, aren't you?" He asked.

"Why not?" She sighed. "I've already got one." She waved at the two bags in Kai's hands.

"I wonder how many there are," Kai wondered aloud.

"Only one way to find out," She murmured. She knelt to pick up her sword and when she stood back up, Hagi was beside her, like always. "Let's go."

"Yeah, I'll just clean up this entire mess by myself," Kai said loud enough for them to hear as they went down the stairs. When they entered the first floor, Saya saw that all the tables and chairs were thrown haphazardly around the room, broken china and glasses shattered. "Good thing I put away that money for the next time a Chiropteran destroys this shop."

"I promise I'll help when I come back," Saya smiled. "Just go over to Julia's and get that head taken care of."

"Honestly, Saya, I'm not a kid anymore," He complained, but the rest of the complaint was lost through the front door of the shop - Hagi had shut it before the "kid" could say anymore.

Saya just shook her head and walked into the deserted street, squinting into the lingering sunlight. The city was under a curfew, due to the murders, so hardly anyone was out - which was a good thing. Over the next hour, her and Hagi scoured the city, looking for even a trace of Chiropteran. As they passed the park where she had been talking to Ayumi, Riku, and Ai, she wondered idly if they found somewhere safe to stay.

"You don't think there was only that one Chiropteran, do you?" Saya asked doubtfully, after searching the entire west half of the city, successfully evading the police.

"Unlikely," Hagi replied. "There should be at least two more."

"I'm not sensing anything, though," She sighed doubtfully.

"Let's keep searching," He said softly. And so they did. They did for more than two hours, working well into the darkness. Things were starting to look downright hopeless. Then a high-pitched scream was heard in the distance, towards the docks. And instantaneously, Saya's mind zeroed in on a Chiropteran, her vision blurring, head throbbing. It would've appeared to anyone else that she had suddenly found something extremely important on the concrete beneath her feet, but she was really just trying to sense where in the docks the scream had come from and what was the quickest route there.

"Saya," Hagi whispered in her ear. "We have limited time. I know it's hard, but quicken the pace."

He meant of course for her to quicken the pace in which her sixth sense was working. It _was_ hard. She hadn't used this sense since the last time she was awake. Suddenly, her mind locked in on the route and where the attack was taking place. There were three more there. One more than expected.

_Oh well_.

She took off, knowing that Hagi was right behind her, like always. She cut through the park, clearing the five-foot, chain-link fence with obvious ease. Wind rushed past her ears, creating a loud roar of sound around her. Wine-colored eyes went furious crimson, and she drew her sword as she ran. Basic form of attack: charge right through. She leapt quickly from the bottom of a set of stairs, to the top in one stride, pounding down a wooden boardwalk that led to the particular dock she was headed for. It was behind building H-2, which was used to store crates for fishing boats. No one was there at this time. She rounded two more corners, then flew towards three hulking figures.

They never saw her coming. She sliced her hand, coated the sword with blood, felt the adrenaline pulsing against her eardrums, the colossal sound deafening. She thrust off the ground, held her sword expertly above her head, and came down with a loud battle-cry. The Chiropteran was split completely in half, falling over, it's skin crystallizing already. Hagi had the other one pinned to the wall of the warehouse and the third one was charging towards Saya.

"Saya!" A little girl screamed; Ai. Saya's eyes went to the three children crouched by the steel wall, looking terrified. Riku, Ayumi, Ai…They had stolen her attention for too long - the Chiropteran crashed into her, three talons going through her left upper arm, pinning her to the concrete. A gasp of surprise escaped her lips and she struggle furiously to get away from the drooling teeth merely _inches_ from her cheek.

Then the weight was gone, the talons ripped out of her flesh. Ai screamed out again, but Saya didn't let her mind wander again. Hagi had the creature around the neck, leaving her the opportunity to slice it's abdomen open, guts and gore spilling onto the stained cement. It crystallized in Hagi's arms. Then there was the last one, pinned pathetically to the wall by Hagi's knives. This one was the smallest and apparently the weakest - most Chiropterans could get out of that.

She took another clean swipe with her sword and put the damn thing out of its misery. With a resigned sigh, she dropped the sword, wiping the blood off her face with her sleeve. When she looked to the children, they were still huddled together, eyeing her in horror.

"Why are you guys here?" She asked, irritation in her voice.

"We were trying to get into safety, but they herded us until we were cornered here," Ayumi answered in a shaken voice.

Saya shook her head. "Go home."

"What are you?" Riku asked, standing up before his sisters could get the stability to. His eyes were wary of her - she knew they were afraid of her now.

"One of them," She whispered, looking down at the Erythrite-like remains of the Chiropterans. "So you should stay away from me. Go home and stay indoors until morning."

They looked at her fearfully.

"But you're not bad like them," Ai said through her frightened tears. "You're good."

"If you say so." The bitterness in her voice couldn't be hidden. She lowered herself to the ground, completely exhausted. Hagi came to her, sword in hand, cleaning the blood off it with a cloth. "Go," She snapped when they continued to stare at her.

In a rush of movement, they took off towards the boardwalk at a sprint, Ai still sobbing weakly.

"Well, now that that's taken care of…" She sighed painfully.

"Why did you scare them off?" Hagi asked quietly from beside her.

"They need to be afraid of Chiropterans - I'm no exception. My nieces are out there somewhere, becoming carbon-copies of their mother. The world is about to be in more danger than before. They need to understand that." Wisdom spoke out in her voice. "Just another battle I'll have to fight."

"Or maybe not," Hagi said gently, wiping more blood off her cheek. "Maybe they won't turn into what you think they will."

"Maybe," She agreed, though doubtfully. "Let's go home and help Kai."

Hagi stood and offered her hand to her, which she gladly excepted. As they left the dock, she made an obvious point of stomping all over the Chiropteran-crystals.


	6. Chapter 6

{6}Gigue

The store was dead silent when they walked inside. At first, Saya feared that something had happened, but then she saw Kai, sitting on a stool, slumped onto the bar, snoring rather loudly. Everything was clean, save the pile of broken glass and china, swept neatly into a pile. Saya smiled slightly. She tapped him on the shoulder, making him wake with a start.

"I didn't want the cabbage!" He shouted, looking around wildly.

"Oh, well, that's a shame - I got them just for you," Saya snickered. Kai blinked, then blinked again, then looked at her with bleary eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked, voice thick with exhaustion.

"I'm fine," She replied.

"Did you get them?"

"Yeah." Her head was starting to hurt. "I'm sorry you had to clean all this up by yourself. I was going to help when I got back."

"Don't worry about it," He sighed, waving a hand at her. "I'm used to cleaning up after you."

"Go to bed, Kai," Saya said, shaking her head. "Thank you."

"For what?" He laughed sleepily, sliding off the stool.

"For everything." She gave him a wide smile when he looked at her with confused eyes. "Go to bed." She gave him a little shove and he stumbled forward, towards the stairs, grumbling incoherently.

Saya listened as his footsteps finally faded and then went silent, the satisfying creak of his bed reassuring her that he was now where he needed to be. Even if he did clean up after her, she still felt slightly motherly towards him. She sat down on the stool he'd previously been on and rested her head in her hands, rubbing at her eyes.

"Saya," Came a voice in her ear. A cold hand gripped her shoulder, massaging the tense muscle there. And then a sensation started crawling, slithering, _nipping_ up her spine. Warmth spilled from her stomach, spreading heat through her limbs, making her feel drowsy. But even more noticeable than that, she was so incredibly aware of his hand, it was driving her nuts. She knew he was standing directly behind her, like always; she could feel his breath, just barely tickling the back of her neck.

In her lifetime, she had never really encountered sexual desire or anything of the like…until now.

Saya didn't exactly know what she was doing; these emotions were foreign and almost frightening. But the fire in the pit of her stomach was raging and her breath quickened as she swiveled the stool around to face Hagi. His dark, now glittering eyes met hers - one look told her that his feelings were mirroring hers.

"Hagi," She whispered, her voice uncertain.

"It's okay," He reassured her, his voice just barely audible. His cold hand and his bandaged one caged her face gently, like he sometimes did when she was sad. This time was different though. Electricity flowed through the contact and Saya shivered, her eyes falling shut for a moment, then opening once more.

"I…I-" She tried to somehow explain her feelings, but Hagi shook his head.

"I know," He breathed.

And then he leaned closer to her, tilting his head to the side, eyes still locked with hers. For a few seconds, they stayed like that, mouths slightly open, breath exchanging wildly. Then, there was contact, sensation, the velvety texture of lips and skin. They had only kissed once before and it had been short-lived due to the circumstances. Now, it was just them, alone, no consequences, no hard reality to shorten their moment. The kiss made them both dizzy, adrenaline rushing so fast and hearts pumping so furiously, it was chaos for a few moments. But then it was controlled, still as wild, but it was identifiable.

Honestly, Saya had no idea where these unsteady emotions were coming from. She had known since the moment she awoke, alone, bone-thin, frightened, that she loved Hagi. What she hadn't counted on was how powerful it was; she thought she was going to explode or float away…or both.

Back to reality, Hagi's human hand now caressed her face gently, his Chiropteran hand settling on her waist, pulling her closer so that he stood between her legs. Wanting him endlessly closer, she laced her legs into his, pulling him by his jacket. Feeling that deformed hand on her waist, she suddenly felt as those the bandages remaining on it was an absurd idea - they knew each other like the backs of their hands. Why must that part of him stay covered when she had seen it so many times?

She felt blindly down her waist until she encountered the large, strangely shaped hand. In her mouth, she felt his breath quicken at this, even more so when she started it unwind the wrapping.

"Saya-" Hagi sort of choked out, lips still against hers.

"I want nothing between us," She said softly, leaning back to get a better look of his eyes; they were practically glowing, wild with lust, but tamed by something Saya could better recognize…

As she pulled off the last bandage, now feeling the fingers of that hand spread across the dip of her waist, she brought her lips to his neck, kissing slowly at the skin there.

"Saya…please," He whispered, so quietly, she had to strain to hear it.

"If you're sure," She sighed, breath tickling skin. As much as she hated, hated, hated taking his blood, he had asked for it. He wanted it. She opened her mouth, let her sharp fangs slip into cold skin, and felt him shudder as she drank.

It could be called sick, masochistic, and twisted from anyone else's standpoint, but to Saya, this was one way to please Hagi that she was familiar with. The rest was nothing short of a mystery to her. When she finished, licking away all signs of blood, she pulled back to find Hagi's eyes closed.

"I know you hate that," He said softly, "but thank you. I needed that."

"Anytime," She smiled, leaning in to kiss him again.

This time, a human hand and a monstrous hand caught her face and went into her hair, deepening the kiss more than Saya had expected. It was pure, raw fire in her mouth. Burning. Then she felt her hands doing something she had not ordered them to do, as if they were going on a instinctual path, running by themselves. They started undoing the buttons of his shirt, so quickly, it surprised her. Before she could even question it, before she could get a handle on where this was going, she felt hands pulling at her shirt. More fire swept through her body, the primal part of her understanding exactly what was happening, shoving her consciousness out of the way so it could do its work.

Her warm hands found a cold chest and the being currently plastered to her shivered, more in pleasure than anything else. Her hands ran down his chest, leaving the skin in its wake flaming - her breaths were now nearly gasps and she felt like she was running a marathon. Fingers explored ridges of skin, mapping out every aspect of his chest with obsessive attention to detail. At some point, she had to pause so Hagi could get her shirt off and he could take off his - blood rushed faster as she felt the cold surface of the bar on her back.

His mouth left hers' and slowly began to trail down her neck, to her collarbone, allowing her to gasp for air, her fingers pulling out the tie in his hair. The black strands cascaded onto her and down his back. She ran her fingers through his hair as his mouth got lower and lower…and lower.

It was a good thing Kai was asleep.

Morning came incredibly quick, seeing as their nighttime activities had continued even into the wee hours of the morning. It was nearly ten when Saya finally opened her eyes, cold yet warm at the same time. The window was right in her line of sight and she saw the sky was dark with storm clouds. She smiled.

She loved thunderstorms.

Cold, strong arms were still wrapped around her waist and breath was hitting the back of her neck in a steady rhythm. Then the memories of the previous night hit her and a satisfying soreness ached through her back in an almost pleasurable way. Beneath them, she heard the sounds of trucks and heavy footsteps, the clunk of heavy boxes. It then occurred to her that Kai probably had to order new dishes and stuff for the restaurant.

Thunder cracked and boomed outside as she rolled over to face Hagi, surprised to find his eyes closed. She kissed him softly and they slid open, softer than she had ever seen them.

"Good morning," He said quietly. She smiled.

"Thank you for everything," Saya said softly.

He shook his head. "I didn't do anything."

She nodded. "Oh yes you did."

"Then tell me what I did," He dared her.

She sat up, legs folded beneath her, looking down at her Chevalier. "You made it easier to answer you."

"Answer me?" He asked, confused.

"Back in that theater, when I defeated Diva…do you remember what you said? The last thing you said?"

He stared down at the mat they were laying on, either thinking about what he said, or thinking about what she was getting at. "Yes."

"Ever since you said that, I have been struggling with what you really meant. I thought maybe you just said that because you thought you were about to die. And then when I realized there wasn't much left to fight, I started getting scared that you would leave me before I got a chance to tell you," She explained, not looking at him anymore, but out the window where a dark storm brewed.

"Tell me what?" Hagi asked, sitting up and settling in front of her.

"That I love you too," She smiled.

"You idiot," He said suddenly, causing shock to cross Saya's face. He had never said anything like that to her, ever. Then a real grin, just like from the days at the Zoo when he was human and young, submerged. "I told you I loved you because I did. I wasn't going to let myself be killed - I knew I was going to make it. It's hard to kill a Chevalier. I only told you that then, so you'd have something to keep you going until I came back to you."

And then the tears started, completely uncalled for, totally unexpected. She wasn't sad - she was far from sad - but she finally understood and could now put her faith in the idea that he loved her and wasn't going to leave. She _could _be selfish and demand to have him forever. Though their lives were endless and far from anything slightly normal, she could still keep him, even if the entire world was rid of Chiropterans and the earth was nothing but a peaceful utopia.

Without even asking what was wrong, Hagi wiped away the tears with his Chiropteran hand, strangely soft now. And when he pulled it away, she realized that it was turning back into a human hand. It was shorter now and strips of flesh were growing along his fingers. In a week or so, judging by the rate of it's growth, it might be complete flesh and bone, devoid of Chiropteran features.

"Your hand…" Saya breathed, taking into her hands.

"It started last night," He said.

"Why?" She asked, completely in awe.

"I don't have a clue," Hagi chuckled.

She glanced up at him, surprised to have heard him laugh. It had been a long time since she had heard the sound come from him. That, combined with the laugh made her smile even wider - he was happy. Happy like he was when they first met at the Zoo, back when things were simple and easy. Though things were now far from simple and easy, things still felt the same. Though they had to worry about Diva's insane spawn now and the damage they would probably inflict on the world, things would be okay. They weren't as hopeless as they had seemed before. They were brighter, more optimistic.

"Saya! Get down here and help me!" Kai shouted from downstairs.

"Just a second!" She called, starting to laugh at her "brother's" impeccable timing. "I love you," She whispered, as though it were a secret.

He chuckled again. "I love you too."

She kissed him like a teenager does before she sneaks back into the house at midnight, pulled on some clothes and bounced down the stairs, leaving Hagi to decide whether to follow her or not.

And wouldn't you know it, he followed.

Just like always.

* * *

_End_

Wow. Sorry I've been so fucking slow with the updates, dearies. I started this in the summer of '08 and now I finish it in the spring of '09. Jesus, I'm so slow! Well, anyway, hope you enjoyed this. I know I did. I have to thank the Bach cello suites for this one. And the encouragement of Toby towards the end, there. Thank you, Tobers.

So I'm totally a sap, as you can well tell, but hopefully you're a sap too and you will give me nice happy reviews with smiley faces like this: =] Because those faces are the coolest ones _ever_.

Thanks for reading, my good friends.


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